Little Green Men: The Repulsor

I like most of the new Primaris line. The models are well made, they look great on the table exuding a solid efficiency which goes especially well with the determined Dark Angels. While not as flexible as the classic Astartes they work well, especially in larger battles.

What I don’t like is the Repulsor. The concept of a heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle isn’t a bad one, especially for the 40k universe. The problem comes in the execution of… pretty much everything. The kit itself is something of a mixed bag. It’s highly detailed, solid, massive looking, but at the same time it’s busy, complicated, underscaled and fairly poorly designed.

When you assemble the kit it’s incredibly frustrating because gapping is inevitable. To have an $80 model that cannot be built without gapping even with a generous application of sanding, rubber bands and masses of glue is incredibly frustrating. And I still need 3 more to complete my battle company because it’s the only transport that can carry Primaris. In addition having a transport capacity of only 10 (as opposed to 12) means that any HQ characters need their own battle taxi. In addition even when fully assembled it looks busy. Every inch of the upper hull and turret seems covered with bric-a-brac. Painting these is going to be a nightmare.

The rules for it are a mess as well. Instead of making it a super Razorback, with beefier weapons and maybe an additional secondary weapon, they made it a super Land Raider with multiple primary weapons and a plethora of secondary weapons that requires a cheat card during the shooting phase to make sure you remember all your weapons. Add to this the previously mentioned problem with finding a space for characters with your 10 man squads and these vehicles just have problems in the rulebook.

Finally, this Land-Raider sized vehicle is way too small. I’m not kidding. The doors are too small, the turret simply doesn’t have room for even a gunner and all the ammunition feeds for the half dozen weapons in it. The hull doesn’t have room for a drive system, driver, ammunition/power supplies for the weapons and more than a couple passengers. I really wish they’d brought in a level headed veteran to help them with the design. I think the vehicle would be vastly improved by removing several turret weapons, some of the hull weapons, adding a couple passenger seats, and just being about 25% larger. This would make it make more sense, be less of a time sink to use in a battle, and much more efficient (even with a slight price increase for the added size) as you don’t need an extra one just to be a 300 point commander’s taxi.

The problem with the Repulsor isn’t that it’s bad. Because it really isn’t. The problem with the Repulsor is that it’s mediocre from top to bottom. It can’t QUITE carry enough. It’s size doesn’t QUITE make sense. It’s got just a FEW too many weapons to use without being frustrating for you and your opponent. And the assembly is, frankly, bad. Yes when that huge wall of lead smashes whole squads and a tank it can be a lot of fun. Yes it’s real nice to zoom 10 intercessors out to an objective and then have a wall of metal and guns sitting there daring someone to make them move, but their captain is running along behind trying to get in range to bubble them, 10 hours later you’re done with your shooting phase, and all you can see is the gaps in the model.

Maybe GW has a Primaris Rhino planned for release. It would be nice.

Advertisements

Rate this:

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

About Corelin

An Eve playing Fool who occasionally writes about the shenanigans he and his minions get up to.

CCP Notice

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
EVE Online and the EVE logo are the registered trademarks of CCP hf. All rights are reserved worldwide. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. EVE Online, the EVE logo, EVE and all associated logos and designs are the intellectual property of CCP hf. All artwork, screenshots, characters, vehicles, storylines, world facts or other recognizable features of the intellectual property relating to these trademarks are likewise the intellectual property of CCP hf. CCP hf. has granted permission to Madhaberdasher to use EVE Online and all associated logos and designs for promotional and information purposes on its website but does not endorse, and is not in any way affiliated with, Madhaberdashers. CCP is in no way responsible for the content on or functioning of this website, nor can it be liable for any damage arising from the use of this website.